every year the dish looms before me on the thanksgiving buffet, its lurid contents lurking, watching for the next innocent plate to appear.
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green jello

Blood orange cake
If you can’t find blood oranges at the store or if you prefer a slightly sweeter taste (blood oranges are intense), you can use regular navels or cara cara navels, which have a lovely pink hue.
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A feast for the longest night of the year
Menu
Roast pork with citrus sauce
Roasted parsnips and turnips with clementines and rosemary
Polenta
Blood orange cake with whipped cream
Sparkling apple cider
dydd gŵyl dewi
my maternal grandfather was welsh, so, for the past three or four years, we’ve celebrated st. david’s day and our welsh heritage with traditional welsh meals. since i was celebrating by myself this year i went all out and made a welsh breakfast in addition to a welsh dinner. i might not be very much…
Read Moreculinary adventures
at my church it’s tradition to provide meals for families with new babies for a couple of weeks after the baby arrives. some of my good friends greeted their third little man recently, so, in answer to request for meals, a lot of the singles at church made a meal by themselves or with a couple…
Read Moreoh hapless pie, and other thoughts
i try to do everything. but i don’t always do it well or the most efficiently. i take the long way ’round by accident. i get lost in too many thoughts at once and forget what my hands are supposed to be doing or my eyes are supposed to be watching. i choose the obscure…
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the best not-pies in kansas
“what’s your favorite kind of sweets/baked goods, ladies?” i asked two of my friends the other day. “cookies are good,” replied friend jess. “anything not pie,” said friend roberta (who i always want to call “robbie” and never do). restrictions were no coconut, mint, fruit or mixed-in peanut butter. suggestions were chocolate chips. hmm. hmm.…
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granola days
‘When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,’ said Piglet at last, ‘what’s the first thing you say to yourself?’ ‘What’s for breakfast?’ said Pooh. ‘What do you say, Piglet?’ ‘I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?’ said Piglet. Pooh nodded thoughtfully. ‘It’s the same thing,’ he said. — a.a. milne, the…
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summer juice
saturday soundtrack: the welcome wagon, welcome to the welcome wagon i know it’s not strictly summer yet. according to my internal calendar, however, june 1st equals summer, just like december 1st equals winter (and october 1st equals autumn. spring, fickle, enchanting season that it is, surprises me every year, regardless of how ardently i’ve been…
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three-foot-tall delights
delightful observations yesterday of a gloriously joyful, very special little girl. and then more adventures today with small people. a little charmer with crystal blue eyes, a bright pink dress, red painted toenails and sparkly sandals held my hand in the church buffet lunch line. “this is fruit salad,” i said. “i want some of…
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